Composite board.



ithe foregoing characteristics, I propose to UNITED STATES 1 PATENT OFFICE.

-, JOHN P. WRIGHT, OF DELAWARE.

comrosrrn 13am.

1,303,753. Specification of Letters Patent.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, JOHN P. WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at 1 Newark, in the county of Newcastle and State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Composite Board, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the art ofrmanufacturing com-posite board, or articles therefrom, the board possessing strength, rigidity and stability.

Hitherto there has been made a composite board in which bakelite or similar material used as-a binder was em loyed merely as :a N superficial coating for t e surface of the layers of the web or paper fabric, and the objection. to this treatment has been that there are intermediate. layers of paper or fabric, and in fact, the inside fibers of the layers are not coated and consequently the entire finished productis not thoroughly homogeneous and alike throughout.

My present invention comprises laminated layers of material, such aspaper, or duck,

saturated with a substance commercially known as bakelite, or similar material possessing' the same general characteristics, and subjected to suitable heat and pressure, whereby a homogeneous product results,

ssessing the qualities of rigidity and staility, being water-proof, and having insulating qualities, and capable of being used for various purposes, and made up in different forms, such as gears, tubes, or in flat sheets capable of being worked over various articles of manufacture requiring some or all of the qualifications mentioned.

In order" to prepare a card-board having proceed substantially as follows: I take an unsized absorbent paper, preferably especially preparel for the urpose. Each sheet is. saturated with bake ite or material having similar characteristics, thus making a separate sheet or unit of the character of the entire product, and the product consequently, although made of laminated sheets,

becomes in reality a homogeneous composite.

The material used may be a liquid condensation product of phenols and formaldehyde of such character that it is capable of trans-- formation under the action of heat into, aninsoluble and infusible body.

- Obviously other substances that have the ability to harden under heat, as, for instance,

formed may then mercial use.

Patented May 13,1919."

Application filed February as, 1916. man No, 80,710.

some varnishes that may exist or may be developed, might be used in .my method of saturation as distinguished from mere coatmg of layers, producing possibly even a better product than with the use of bakelite.

and similarly treated, or the several layers may be saturated and preferably dried before being superposed. The desired number of sheets having been assembled, the com. posite article is compacted bylpressure, with or without the aid of heat. eat is now applied only to affect the transformation of the condensation product intoan insoluble, infusible body. The heat may be applled during the operation of compressing or com- "pacting the composite body, or at a subsequent stage of the' process; or it may 'be applied-partly during the compressing operation, and continued durmg subsequent sta es.

- he compressed product may be heated gradually in an oven, starting at relatively.

low temperatures, say 40?" C. to C. and radually increasm to higher temperatures, or instance 100 to 140 C. the increase in temperature being so gradual as to avoid the formation of blisters or other irregularities.

' Instead of superposing a number of separate'sheets, the liquid condensation-product ma be applied to a continuous sheet or web, which may then be rolled upon itself mthe form of a tube, suitable mechanical devices being used for this urpose. The tubes thus ta cut and straightened into composite sheets before hardening, ac-

.cording to'the use for whichv they are intended.

Likewise this same process 1s applicable to tubes to be used as such, in which eventthe saturated superimposed layers formed by winding or otherwise as the casemay be are hardened before they are available for com- Y The condensation products for use as above may be mixed with pigments, or dyes,

or they maybe used in conjunction with a certain proportion of resinous material.

The length of timethefheat isapplied isdependent entirely on the thickness of the material. The-longer the product is left under conditions of heat and pressure, the more brittle it becomes.

Where canvas is used, the best quality 'of j canvas 'duck is preferred, and either the sheets or tubes could be made of the paper or canvas du as desired. The completed product is a olutely water-proof throughout, that is to say every fiber in it all the way through is waterproof, and the result is that the product can be used anywhere where hard rubber is used, as the product will keep out moisture and. is practically as water proof as ru er.

In addition to the use of an especially prepared unsized absorbentxpaper, im egnation could be accomplish by any 0 the ordinary approvedmethods, for instance bythe vacuum system, by forcing in under pressure or by any other method, and conseuentlyit is not my desire to be limited to t e exactmethod of saturation or impregnation, hereinbefore cited thisinvention conducing homogenel I It is also prob'ab e that the results might be obtained by using a solvent such as alcohol, as for instance a verfy thick tarnish would not saturate a sheet 0 'aper or fabric, unless, perhaps it is thinned own with some suitable solvent. s-

This; product is consequently es ecially adapted to use in -wireless 'insta ations, where a-material is necessary which will not absorb moisture. I i

. Tlris'material is easily machined, fashioned, threaded, and toothed as occasion may require in its mately homogeneous product.

industries.

I claim:.

1. A composite product composed of laminations of fibrous material, each lamination being saturated throughout with approximate uinformity, with a phenolic condensation product, and the whole being subjected to su cient pressure and heat to form an approximately homogeneous product.

2. A composite product composed of laminations of paper or the like, each lamination being saturated throughout with approximate uniformity, with a phenolic condensin product, the whole being subjected to suc1ent pressure and heat to form an approximately homogeneous product.

3. A composite product composed of laminations of paper or the like, each lamination being saturated throughout with approxi f mate uniformity with a substance commerciall known as or having the qualities of bake 'te, and the whole 'bein subjected to suflicient pressure and heat to cm approxi 4. The method of producing product whichconsists in saturating an absorbent medium with a phenolic condensation product, then drying'each until the solvent is entirel dried out of the liquid, then application'to'us'e in various a composite piling saida sorbent medium into layers and ap l in heat and pressure to first soften and -tllen harden the henolic condensation product with whic layer 1s saturated.

In testimony whereof I aflix m signature.

' JOHN P. IGHT.

each absorbent 1 

